The basic cell

 

Let's begin by creating a primitive biotelemorphic cell using a conventional multimedia authoring package. Any of a variety of different multimedia authoring packages can be used, but, for the first example we will use Macromedia's Director (version 5).

A full authoring environment must be used to create the initial cell because it is necessary to install an engine of code (nucleus) together with a suitably designed portal to be able to allow the entry of media and instructions.

Once this initial cell is created, it can then be copied and distributed to produce any number of clones which can be individually manipulated and programmed to manifest avatars even in the absence of the originating authoring package.

 

 

A "Director" biotelemorphic cell

 

The product of any multimedia authoring package consists of documents specific to the particular authoring environment. This necessitates that a player be provided to "play" the documents in order that they can be viewed by others who do not have the authoring application.

The player (called a projector in Macromedia's Director) can be thought of as a self contained (stand alone) application which operates upon the media and code contained in the documents - within a specified amount of RAM space.

 

Fig 1.2

Paradigm 1 - Player plays document

 

By looking at this from a different paradigm, we can view the player as an application, which exists independent of any document, and has an allotted amount of RAM space into which documents, containing media and instructions, are sent. These documents then manipulate and make use of the code contained in the player to display the media.

 

Fig 1.3

Paradigm 2 - Document uses player's code

 

Now if we can give the players a facility to allow a user to select the documents brought into the allocated RAM space, the user will be able to choose which documents the player takes instructions from.

 

Fig 1 .4

Paradigm 3 - The player can be given a facility to allow the user to choose a document to manipulate its code

 

If we take this a stage further, to allow an intelligent agent to communicate directly with the engine code in the player and also be able to choose which documents are sent into the player's allotted RAM space, this agent could then control and manipulate the code belonging to the player in all kinds of ways; bringing in documents as and when appropriate.

 

Fig 1.5

Paradigm 4 - An intelligent agent can select documents to send into a player's RAM space and tell the player to act upon the instructions they contain

 

Taking this process to its logical conclusion, documents can be used to build an intelligence inside a player's RAM space so that the player would have the ability to choose and coordinate its own documents according to specific goals and strategies

 

Fig 1.6

Paradigm 5 - An intelligence can be placed inside of the player's RAM space to utilize the player's code and to bring in appropriate documents from outside

 

This, in a nutshell, is the concept of a Web avatar which is a manifestation resulting from many documents cooperating and combining together within the RAM space of a multimedia player.

Intelligently selected documents, cooperating and supplying the necessary media and instructions, can between them utilize the player's engine of code to create avatars of any conceivable form.

Now let us put this into practical effect.

 

copyright 1997 Peter Small - No part of this document can be used or reproduced in any form without express permission

Details of book, CD-ROM and online continuation - peter@genps.demon.co.uk